The Decent Inn of Death

It’s the 1950’s, and former Detective Chief Inspector, Angus Sinclair, is drawn into what appears to be the accidental death of a German-born church organist Greta Hartmann, in a small village near Winchester. Having come to England before the War as a refugee from Nazi persecution, she was not initially welcomed and her benefactor, and some-time protector, is suspicious and angry about her death. <br /><br />Sinclair, although quite ill, begins to unpick the circumstances of her death in a private capacity. His entirely unauthorised foray back into the sleuthing world leads him to an old friend and colleague from the West German police and to brutal crimes committed in Germany and South America by an unprincipled psychopath and master of disguise.<br /><br />Old colleagues and former subordinates from Scotland Yard are on hand. Willing, given their loyalty to their former bosses, to help him beyond the call of duty.  Suspects are multiple and some wholly unsuspected.  The outcome is predictably unpredictable.<br /><br />Intelligently written, meticulously researched and absolutely reeking of the crime fiction of the Golden Age, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read and there was a tinge of regret when finishing!

I am a fan of this series which feels traditional with regard to the writing style and narration. This time the intrigue is rather complicated and has Angus in the foreground and John in the background as he is on holiday with his wife when the case begins. All is well that ends well!

A solid entry in the series. Sometimes it felt a bit belabored and patience is needed as the story slowly unfolds. I deduced the identity of the culprits at some point and wondered how things would work themselves out. Would any of the people, including two retired detectives, escape unscathed from the snowbound country house? Things heat up beginning at chapter 27 and the ending was satisfying.

It has been a space since I read the previous book of the John Madden series. I was happy to stumble on this available one in my search through library database because I recall enjoying the books I have read by Rennie Airth. I appreciate the solid, likable main characters and even though Madden is retired from the Yard and is a country farmer enjoying life with his physician wife, you know he is going to play a key role in the pickle his former colleague finds himself in as he pursues clues. That when he is supposed to be living carefully and watching his blood pressure.<br />It is an interesting set of puzzle pieces with misleading clues sprinkled on the path to truth and happy conclusion with lives saved in the end.<br />I see I somehow missed the third book, so I will have to go back to the stacks and correct that omission.<br /><br />Library Loan

A classic country house murder in post-WWII England with a blizzard obscuring almost all the tracks of the red herrings in the snow. But only almost, because not-so-retired Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair with definitely retired Detective Inspector John Madden faint but pursuing are on the case of a killer who has left a trail of bodies that predates the war. Interesting twists in both the killer's multiple motives and in the shifting list of [un]usual suspects, and a great visit with John, his family, and friends.

One of my aims in 2023 is to finish some series I've been enjoying. The first one completed is the John Madden mystery series created by South African mystery author <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/43586.Rennie_Airth" title="Rennie Airth" rel="noopener">Rennie Airth</a> with the sixth book in the series, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/45157693.The_Decent_Inn_of_Death__John_Madden___6_" title="The Decent Inn of Death (John Madden, #6) by Rennie Airth" rel="noopener">The Decent Inn of Death</a>. Funny factoid; I actually thought I'd finished the series in 2020 when I read The Death of Kings, but then I discovered that Airth had published Inn that same year.<br /><br />OK enough rambling preambling. ? It this is the final book in the series, it was a satisfying story with which to conclude the series. Retired Chief Inspector Sinclair takes a trip to visit an old friend from Scotland Yard and becomes involved in a possible mystery, that being the death of Greta Hartman. Hartman had lived in a community near Winchester, a German who'd moved there before WWII had settled in. Her husband had been executed in a concentration camp and she had escaped to England and gradually become accepted in the community. <br /><br />Greta had been found dead, after seemingly slipping on a stone crossing a creek and bashing her skull. While the death is deemed an accident by local police, her best friend, Vera, can't believe it. Sinclair arriving for his visit, listens, does a little investigation and thinks there are enough questions to keep investigating on his own. He plans to make a brief visit to Oxford to check on a mysterious man who was seen the day Greta died. Sinclair is struggling with a weak heart and hopes to return to his home, in Sussex before the Madden's, vacationing in Italy, return as Helen Madden, his doctor and friend, wants to keep an eye on him.<br /><br />Unfortunately for Sinclair, his visit to Oxford and then onward the isolated manor of cripple Julia Lesage will result in him being snowed in and isolated, possibly in a dangerous situation for them all, as he tries to discover if a cold-blooded psychopath might be threatening Julia's life, and all those at the manor. John Madden, arriving home also heads to Oxford to find out what the heck Sinclair is up to and, more importantly, where the heck he is! The phone lines are down, dontcha know.<br /><br />The story is a slow build, introducing characters, nicely developing the plot and mystery; kind of cozy but threatening at the same time. The list of suspects is small but there are nice little twists and turns as Sinclair and Madden, with the help of Scotland mates, Billy Styles and Lily Poole, try to discover if there is a mystery, and if so, who is this murderer who seems to have left a series of murders, from Argentina, through Mexico to Germany in his wake. It's an entertaining mystery people with interesting characters and finishes with a tense, satisfying conclusion. Will John Madden possibly come out of retirement one last time? We'll see. But if not, The Decent Inn is an excellent way to close down the series. (4.0 stars)

In 1999, Rennie Airth's RIVER OF DARKNESS burst on the mystery scene. It was an intricately plotted look at post-WWI policing in England, with deeply flawed and immensely likable protagonists, made the more so by their flaws. Airth, already a veteran novelist by 1999 (his first novel came out in 1969), was a finalist for the most prestigious mystery awards at the time, and looking back at the other nominees should have won all the prizes.<br /><br />Periodically since then, though John Madden left Scotland Yard after book one to become a gentleman farmer, Airth has surprised us with new updates in the series, jumping many years in the narrative process. The second book, THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE, took place in 1932 for example; THE DEAD OF WINTER, book three, occurs in 1944, while the current iteration takes place in 1950.<br /><br />THE DECENT INN OF DEATH is the sixth John Madden book. Our favorite characters are all back, Madden, his wife Helen, Sir Angus Sinclair, Billy Styles and Lily Poole, all getting older and some progressing in their careers. Not Madden and Sinclair, they are retired. That is apt, because the entire book moves at a slower, more genteel pace. Concerns and motivations are those of the older generation, not mercurial youth. While the RIVER OF DARKNESS grabbed you by the throat and made you keep reading, THE DECENT INN OF DEATH is like a better version of Murder She Wrote. It provides entertainment and comfort on a quiet night at home, but it won't stick with you, popping into your brain for days afterward, like the first Madden book did.<br /><br />THE DECENT INN OF DEATH still deserves a read, however, especially in this self-isolating times when the literary version of comfort food can be well received. There is some action in the book, but much of the investigation occurs through exposition, as the characters talk out the case. This is both appropriate given the age of the primary characters, and potentially fun for the reader as we can then play the whodunit guessing game along with Madden and Sinclair. In my case, I figured out who did not do it before it became clear to me who the real villain was, but it was still fun to play the game.<br /><br />Gentleman farmers<br />and retirees, make English<br />mysteries proper.<br /><br />

<strong>Classic English Mystery</strong><br /><br />I have been a fan of this series since it’s inception. Rennie Airth writes evocatively and tells a good story.In the latest installment, Madden and his retired Chief Inspector Sinclair are embroiled in a classic English “ locked house” mystery. The plot is suspenseful and the pacing is brisk. Highly recommend...Daniel S

4.5 stars<br /><br />This was a delightful surprise b/c I thought the previous book (#5) was the last book in the series as the epilogue gave a future wrap-up of the characters. <br />I was so glad to have another book (#6) b/c I like these characters.<br /> <br />Sinclair is in retirement but comes across a suspicious death so obviously, he investigates.<br />And while Madden is on vacation during the first part of the story, he soon joins in as well as the return of other beloved characters from the previous books. (helen, lucy, lily, etc..)<br /><br />It had Agatha Christie overtones w/red herrings, killer, victim &amp; detective &amp; suspects trapped in a mansion during a blizzard.<br /><br />There was lots of suspense-especially during the last 1/3 of the story. <br />A great mystery that was well written w/plenty of action.<br />It's the 1950's &amp; WW2 has passed but Korea is on the horizon. <br /><br />I liked that the 2 protagonist detectives (madden &amp; sinclair) are in their "golden years" but still able to hold their own.

This is one of those books that kept me reading way past my bedtime. It's twisty, turny, atmospheric and creepy. It's actually the 6th book in the John Madden series, but I don't feel like I missed anything by jumping in here since it really concerns former Chief Inspector Angus Sinclair, and John Madden doesn't really make much of an appearance until the latter half of the book. When Greta Hartman "slips" and drowns in a creek, it's only because her friend, Vera, keeps insisting that it wasn't an accident that Sinclair decides to investigate. He slowly finds himself believing Vera and this leads him on the trail of a truly horrific murderer. Plus, this book has a snowstorm which, if you follow my reviews at all, you know is the icing on the cake! I've just gone back to start the series with the first book, River of Darkness which seems equally as good so far.